The subject matter herein relates generally to coaxial connectors.
A typical coaxial connector has a metal outer shell, an inner dielectric insert, and a center contact to carry the signal which is secured within the inner dielectric insert. Coaxial connectors may be either plug connectors or jack connectors of either standard or reverse polarity configurations. Coaxial connectors may be either terminated to cable or terminated to a printed circuit board (PCB). For cable-mounted applications, the outer metal shell is crimped or soldered to the outer metal braid or solid metal jacket of the coaxial cable to provide an electrical connection between the shielding of the cable and the connector, while the center contact is crimped to the central conductor of the coaxial cable to provide connection for the signal pathway. For board-mounted applications, the outer metal shell is mechanically and electrically connected to a ground conductor of the PCB, while the center contact is mechanically and electrically connected to a signal conductor of the PCB.
Typical coaxial connectors are not without disadvantages. For instance, some coaxial connectors are right angle coaxial connectors where mating and terminating ends of the coaxial connectors are oriented generally perpendicular to one another. Such connectors are complex and costly to design and tool. It is difficult to maintain the impedance of such connectors between the mating and terminating ends as the signal path turns 90° within the connector. Additionally, typical coaxial connectors on the market are not platform designs, and do not enable customization or automated manufacturing. For example, the plug connectors are manufactured from multiple pieces or components specific to the plug connector design and the jack connectors are manufactured from multiple pieces or components specific to the jack connector design. Additionally, the cable-mounted connectors are manufactured from multiple pieces or components specific to the cable mounting design and the board-mounted connectors are manufactured from multiple pieces or components specific to the board mounting design. Moreover, the coaxial connectors are typically assembled by hand, which is time consuming. The pieces and components of the coaxial connectors are typically screw machined.
A need remains for a coaxial connector platform that allows for product design extensions, automated manufacturing and/or low cost.